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Public Funds Theft At The Water Board In Buena Vista?
Tue, June 30, 2015
Since the weekend, there has been a developing story in the western village of Buena Vista, near the vicinity of Spanish Lookout, Cayo. A string of dubious cheques has emerged in the name of one member of the Village's Water Board. Money of equivalent value is missing, and he has to answer questions because the immediate perception is that he pocketed money he ought not to have access to.

It has wider implications because this money is public funds to be used to fund the village's water access. Our news team has been out in Cayo following up the story, and Courtney Weatherburne Reports:

Iris Yande Garcia, Buena Vista Villager
"We have to wash early in the morning and we had to wait for the water."

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
24 year old Iris Yande Garcia is only one of the residents who had to wait for the water supply to be restored to the village this morning. It was cut out last night at around 8.

And turned back on until around 10 this morning. But this is not just another case of not to pay the water bill. The residents are paying for the service but according to the chairman of the Village Council, the bulk of the money is being pocketed for personal use.

The chairman advised the residents to stop paying the water board because he believes that the money isn't being used for the upkeep of the community or the water system.

According to him, the red flags were raised when he realized that there were no financial reports from the water board since October of last year.

Eddy Delarosa, Chairman, Village Council
"What happened is that monthly I received a report from the water board from the village chairman, stating the expenditures of the board or what's not. But from last year October I didn't get any and that started to raise my concerns and I went and talk to the secretary and the treasurer and told them that I need to find out what is going on, why am I not receiving the reports?"

And why did it take 9 months to for him to speak out? Well, he told us that he simply couldn't because there was no evidence just suspicions - until now. Chairman Delarosa finally got the reports and statements from the bank via email last week and those raised even more concerns.

Eddy Delarosa, Chairman, Village Council
"Last week Thursday I received mails from Belize Bank. It was so disturbing, it made me a bit sick and I went early in the morning. At 5am I got up and I went over the mails and I found an amount of cheques. Some of them I believe they were legit cheques written to BEL for the electricity of our pump, but 85% of the cheques I knew something was wrong with them. Because in our board we don't purchase cement and they had some for cement and steel and we don't need that in the board."

This cashed cheque dated April 15th 2015 for the sum of $3,000, along with this one dated April 29th for the sum of 6,000 and this other one dated February 11th in the amount of $10,000 were all written in the Chairman of the Board's name. According to Delarosa, this is just a portion of the funds he believes were misappropriated.

Eddy Delarosa, Chairman, Village Council
"A rough estimate is about $30,000 - $40,000. Because what they did was to write vouchers in people's name. We went to the people that the vouchers are written to and question them if they knew about any payment done by the Buena Vista Water Board and they are totally lost. They don't know anything."

"Presently we have $19,000 amounting to these cheques and this $30,000 - $40,000 had been happening from last year. I just found out about this this year, but the $30,000 - $40,000 is from last year."

A part from the amount, the other suspicion raised had to do with those who might also be involved in this alleged scam.

Eddy Delarosa, Chairman, Village Council
"We had a project last year, the village is extending over the next side and we paid some money for the backhoe guy and we bought some pipe. Those are the two main expensive things in extending the water to the village. The person who was paid, that guy got $10,000 for backhoe service. I went and hunt for the man and the man have 5 years living in the states and the man signed the voucher stating that he received the money. I got the phone number from his mom and I call him in the states and he said that he doesn't know anything about that and that he doesn't have any backhoe. So, here is where the question come, how do my villagers - on how do my chairman know this guy from Teakettle or know that guy from Roaring Creek or this guy from St. Margaret's and my villagers barely come out. You understand the point now that had to be something from outside that led them to find these kind of people to sign the vouchers."

Now, according to the Village Clerk and the Chairman of the Water board himself Julio Castillo, these allegations are all false. They say the records speak for themselves.

Vicente Sanchez, Village Clerk
"He used those 3 cheques but not to take money for himself or for me, the money he got was used to maintain the water system here in the village, that's what he got the money for. The reports are there at the Ministry - how much came in and how much went out and how much is deposited every month and everything is clear there in the bank and at the Ministry and the records I have here because I have my own records."

Sanchez admits that the Chairman signed the cheques in his name but that they were cashed and given to workers who completed jobs and other water works in the community. The Chairman also maintains this position.

Julio Castillo, Chairman, Water Board
"That is what it was used for because that was what was collected - whenever there was a need to buy tubes and any other item for the water system and all the receipts go along with those as well."

While both sides have been presented, the investigation is ongoing and the financial reports and copies of records are being reviewed by the investigating officer.

For now many questions linger for members of the community as to the future of their water board and more importantly to their livelihood.

The Water Board was formed 3 years ago. Today, we spoke with the Minister of Rural Development, Godwin Hulse, who told us that he cannot reveal anything about the case at this time because the Ministry's auditors have only just gone in to start investigating. In terms of the investigation, the Coordinator of Rural Development says that the financial reports are being examined to determine the next step. We understand that new chairman of the water board will be sworn in.

As the story develops, we'll update you accordingly.

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